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IN THE CAPITAL OF HONKING

One
of the best-known stereotypes about India is related to its traffic.

And I have to admit that even after more than two months of continuous stay in the country is hard to
describe what it is like.

At the beginning whenever my relatives and friends from home asked me
about it, I simply said that I don’t have yet the words that can illustrate it.

Challenge #1:

Crossing the street

On
my first day I was standing for about 5 minutes on a street corner, looking at
the flow of cars, buses, rickshaws, bikes and feeling paralyzed. I was unable to
cross despite the fact that I was standing at a passageway. Nobody stopped. Then a local
helped me and taught me that:

here you just have to be brave enough to raise your hand, start crossing the street and stop the
traffic (and maybe pray - if you are religious).

Traffic in India is indeed chaotic and hectic. There are just a few general traffic rules - like most vehicles will stop at the signaling lamp - but even for these you will witness a lot of exceptions. But when you find the order (or your peace) in the chaos, the challenge becomes normal, sometimes even funny. The best advice I can give is to keep your eyes open and your senses sharp.

And people - at least in Chennai - are helpful; once even a policeman helped me to cross the street as I was looking helpless (cool, no?)

Challenge #2:

Taking the local bus.

For me it took around two weeks of mental preparation to do it. 💪 First I was shocked by regularly seeing people hanging dangerously from the footboard or getting off the bus on the way during peak hours.

Someway I was already used to crowded buses and to their delay, so I haven't had high expectations. But I experienced for the first time in Chennai, what it is like when Google Maps is showing one information about the bus stop, and reality is completely else; meaning you always have to double-check with local people if you are at the right station (as there are stations very close to each other - like 5-10 meters) and if you are waiting for the right bus.

Bus tickets in Chennai are extremely cheap (between 5 and 10 rupees - converted to dollars between 7 and 15 cents) so it is the best way to spontaneously discover the city. If you just want to hop and hop off whenever you see something interesting you can buy a daily bus ticket, which will be still under 1 USD. However during weekday peak hours it is better to avoid using buses (you won't even get the chance to get on them 😓). Local train is also available, but connections are not the best (I only used it twice during my stay).

Challenge #3:

Yes, it is true that tuk-tuk drivers will overcharge you just because you are a foreigner - even if you bargain with them. It is better get used to the idea. And this is not the worst part. The worst part is that sometimes you have to guide them to take you to the correct location (keep your phone charged) 😓 And - at least - in Chennai in most cases you won't be able to communicate with them in a proper way (nera ponga = go straight - can be extremely useful; they will understand left and right,just say with an e at the end). What do you think how many people can fit into an auto rikshaw?
For us the record was 8.

Thanks to the digital age and to ride sharing apps like Uber or Ola, transportation become a bit less hectic in India. As a foreigner I used them a lot of times; through Ola you can even order a tuk tuk. They are cheaper and more reliable. But drivers may want to overcharge you even like this, so watch out and always check the bill on your phone.

Family on bike

Challenge #4:

Oh, bikes 😊

If you have an international drivers license for bike, then you must try renting one (I don't have one so I must rely on my friends). It might not look safe at first, but when you get the feeling it is going to be a really nice experience - I guarantee you (yes, maybe you have to be a bit crazy 😊). It is not compulsory (yet) to wear a helmet, so I absolutely enjoy driving without it, feeling the wind or the cooling air and the freedom that it brings.

However for me the most disturbing factor about transportation is not the hectic traffic, nor the lack of rules, nor the communication problems with drivers.

The most annoying part of traffic is: honking.

In India people use honks as a signal of approach, so whenever they get close to another vehicle or to an intersection, or whenever they see somebody passing the street they will honk (and drivers sometimes use it continuously - can you imagine that?) This is the disturbing symphony of streets. 😶

You wonder what it's like?

As I travel daily (mostly by auto rickshaw and bus) I made a video of my travel-experiences.

Mid April the Hollywood of India was on our visiting list. We went without concrete plans, just to escape Chennai for a few days.
After traveling to Mumbai (or Bombay) I have realized that probably while I am in India I will never have any trip (or day) without unforeseen incidents. My life was filled with random moments even before my arrival, but here everything was multiplied by at least ten. Yes, I had moments of despair, but now I believe ultimately the lesson is about learning how to handle obstacles without becoming desperate.

The challenges started with our departure from Chennai, when Karyati, my friend from Indonesia, caught the flight only by miracle. That was the moment when I've become sure that time can be both expanded and narrowed.
But after this early-morning stress, the flight itself was a blessing. When we have arrived, around 7 am to Mumbai, the friends whom we were supposed to meet were still sleeping so we have googled the closest coffee place, Lucky Cafe, …

PrologueOn the plane from Abu Dhabi to Chennai I was
sitting near an Indian woman who was traveling with her daughter of only a few
months. She was from Delhi, but for the past few years they have been living in
the Netherlands. When I told her that I am going to live in South India for the
next 6 months she said: I don’t want to discourage you, but I think you will
have a hard time. Because of food. Mainly.

Even
without this comment, I was concerned about the food (even though I went to a few Indian restaurants before in my life). Everybody was warning
me that it will be way tooooo spicy for me. And that I’ll have to be careful
what I eat. Because food is not as hygienic as the one I am used to. But still, I wasn’t feeling discouraged.
When
I was 14 I became a vegetarian in a town where being one had no culture. I got
a lot of criticism and warnings when I’ve changed my diet. Like “you will get
sick”, “you can’t survive without meat”, “we were meant to eat meat” etc. But I
was stubborn…